Julius j



(No Model.)

J. J. KOCH.

PRESSURE REGULATOR EUR BRICK MACHINES.

No. 340,049. Patented Apr.4 13, 1886.

um mmm UNITED STATES i ATeNT trice.

JULIUS J. KOCH, OF S'l. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK W'ICHARD, OF SAME PLACE.

PRESSURE-REGULATOR FOR BRICK-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part; of Letters Patent No. 340,049, dated April 13, 1886.

Application find July 27,

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JULIUs J. KOCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pressure-Regulators for Brick-Presses, Src., of which the tollowing is a specification.

This invention specially relates to brick -machines in which the upper or lower or both plungers are operated hy positive mechanical powers; and it consists of a safety attachment on either or both plungers, whereby breakage of parts is avoided, and the machine is made capable of pressing pure or adulterated clay into bricks, which otherwise cannot be accomplished.

The improvements consist of a \\ater-cylin der, into which a piston to which the plunger is attached operates, said watereylinder being provided with a safety-valve, serving as a safety attachment, -to allow the mechanical parts to complete their movements alter the clay has been compressed to its t'ull extent, giving lost motion to the plungers, allowing the cylinder to move while the plungers are stationary.

To more fully describe the construction und operation of my improvements, and to enable others to fully understand the same, reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is asectional view of my improved safety attachment, showing the upper plunger up, the lower plunger down, the charger t'orward, the mold filled with clay preparatory to pressing, the valve being still open after having allowed water to escape from pipe. Fig.

is a like view of my improved safety attachment, showing the brick pressed and finished, the valve being closed. Fig. 3 is a detail section, showing brick discharged from mold..

Figs. '-.t and?) are details ofthe mechanism for throwing the valve open or closing same.

Similar letters refer to similar parts th rough out the several views.

A is the upper plunger, and B is the lower plunger, of a brick-press. To either or both plungers I connect a water-cylinder, C, into which the opposite end, D, of the plunger operates as a piston. This water-cylinder is an intermediate attachment between the plunger Serial No. 172,-05. (No model.)

and the mechanism for operating same. Leading from the water-cylinder is a pipe, E. into which the lower shank part, e, of the watercylinder moves, said pipe E connecting to the water-reservoir F, which must be placed above point of the plunger.

G is a valve, similar to any ordinary safety valve, and may be Set to open at any pressure desired, and to allow water to escape to permit the lower cylinder to move up or the npper cylinder down, while the plungers and pistons are stationary.

H is an air-valve to allow the air in the cylinder to escape when first filling the cylinder with water. In case sand or other foreign substance gets mixed with the clay, which will not compress to the desired thickness to make a brick of the required dimension, the plungers-after pressing their fullest capacity, stop and are stationary before the operating mechanism hasfullycompleted its movement, which, upon the parts still pressing, would eventually canse something to give way or break where positive moving parts are used. For this purpose I have provided the safety attach ment above described, which allows the parts to move up or down after the plungers are stationary, permitting the mechanisms to complete their movements without danger ofbreakage. The water, after the maximum pressure is reached, causes the safety-valve to open and water to escape, the cylinder moving While the plunger is stationary, giving lost motion below and above to allow the mechanisms to complete their movements.

lz. is a check-valve wit-hin the safety-valve, and moves in an opposite direction to open, so as to allow water to flow into the pipe and cylinder, while the lower plunger moves up to discharge the brick from the mold, as shown in Fig. 3.

I is a slide attached to the charger I', and has lugs or pins i, which engage an arm, t, of the safety-valve, the arm being turned to the right or left, opening or closing the safetyvalve, to allow water to enter the cylinder and pipe, while the plungers move away from each other and the charger moves back.

In the drawings my improvements are shown as applied to the lower plunger; but the same is applicable to the upper plunger. In such IOO case the ai r-valve and the check-valve are not necessary. Thus any brick-press operated by positive-moving mechanical means becomes a practical machine when supplied with my safety attachment.

Having thus fully described the construction of my pressure-regulator, the operation is as follows: Suppos'ing the upper plunger to ybe up and the lower plunger to be down, and

the molds full of clay, as shown in Fig. 1, the valve is now closed upon4 the charger, completing its return motion. The upper and lower plungers now move toward each other. As soon as the desired pressure is reached the plungers stop. Although the brick is not pressed to its required thick ness, and the movements ofthe operating mechanism are not completed, the safety-valve now opens and gives the upper or`lower or both pl ungers lost motion. The resistance being equal to the force, (pressure) breaking strain cannot take place, provided tensile strength has been taken into consideration in construction ofthe machine or press. Resistance and force being now equal, the gearing or positive-motion mechanism fer operating the plungers can now make a complete rotation or movement, the safetyvalve opening after the maximum pressure is reached, permitting water to escape, allowing the water-cylinders to move independent of' the plungers. When pressing is completed,

the upper plungerI with its cylinder moves up and the lowerplunger will only have to move dead weight, plus the friction of clay in the molds, no resistance being offered by the upper plunger. The check-valve within the safety-valve now opens and admits water to the cylinder equal to distance the plunger moves to discharge the brick. When upper plunger is up and brick are out 0f the molds, Fig. 3, the charger comes forwardyperforming the following movements: pushing the now finished brick on the table, pushing clay forward and over the molds, and opening the valve to let water into water-cylinder. Lower plunger now drops, thereby filling molds with clay, and charger moves backward, closing, the f valve, when the plungers are ready to move toward each other and pressthe clay for a new brick.

The piston in water-cylinder will have to be made heavy enough to overcome the frie-V tion, and at the saine time displace hydrostatic pressure in Water reservoir.v

What I claim is- 1. ln a brick-pressl whose plungers are operated by positive mechanical/poweratlie combination of a water-cylinderprovided with a safety-valve, with one or both plungers, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a brick-press, the combination of a' water-cylinder, C, pipe E, Water-reservoir F, safety-valve G, check-valve h, air valve H, with one or both -plungers, substantially as 65 herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

JULIUs J. KOCH.

-Witnesses:

CHAs. F. MEISNER, CHAs. E. METZ. 

